GOVERNANCE
Shining Mountains Montessori School is registered as a nonprofit organization in the state of Colorado. We are operated by a Board of Directors and an Executive Director. The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for financial, legal, and strategic planning and policy issues for SMMS. The Board sets policy to be implemented by the administration and staff. Furthermore, the Board ensures the integrity of Montessori philosophy within the school. The Board currently consists of four members.
The Board holds regular meetings approximately ten times yearly, typically on the second Monday of the month. Minutes are on file and available to parent community members upon request.
Visit cccf.fcsuite.com to gift a tax-deductible donation for student scholarships, school programming, future expansions, and coordinated Montessori teacher training. Our community of present/prospective learners and leaders would be very grateful.
Meet the Team
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Kirsten Gaumond
Co-Director
Hello families! I was born in Colorado Springs and was raised in Fort Collins, then in Boulder. From 3-6 years old, I attended Children’s House Montessori in Fort Collins. In April 2018, I earned my Bachelor of Exercise Science and Sports Administration Degree through Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. While earning my Bachelor’s degree, I worked as a Youth Ski and Snowboard Instructor, Supervisor, and Program Director. I also worked as a Program Coordinator for mountain biking clinics and outdoor youth camps.
I student-taught in Buena Vista and earned my K-12 Teaching License in May 2021.
July of 2024 I completed my MACTE-accredited Children's House Montessori Teacher Certification through the Prepared Montessorian. I now serve as Co-Director.
I absolutely love sharing my passion for Montessori education at SMMS! I enjoy exploring our Valley with my two long-haired dachshunds.
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Emily Petty
Co-Director
Hello everyone, my name is Emily, and I’m a mom to a four-year-old boy. I grew up in the mountains and have visited BV since childhood. I am so glad to be part of this community in my adulthood and enjoy all our valley has to offer.
I completed my MACTE-accredited Children's House Montessori Teacher Certification through the Prepared Montessorian May of 2024. I now serve as Co-Director.
My favorite color is a pink and purple combo, what I see in our beautiful sunsets over the peaks. My favorite activity is going on a walk with my son and catching up with all the smiling faces in town along the way. My favorite song to sing with my son is “Zoom Zoom Zoom; We’re Going to the Moon.”
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Coleen Hampf
Assistant Guide
Greetings! I have spent my whole life doing what I loved, from working 30+ years as a Human Resource Manager to raising my two daughters in their formative years in a Montessori school and at a nearby barn where they competed in English riding. Yes, my sweet girls were raised in a barn :). I have moved to Buena Vista to pursue a spiritual life of peace and contentment. I now find myself in a blossoming Montessori environment where I will continue to learn from little spirits who are wise beyond their years.
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Stephanie Fowler
Assistant Guide
Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie Fowler and I am so excited to be spending time with your lovely children every week! I have about 10 years of education experience both in Montessori and traditional settings. I have taught everything from preschool to second grade.
I am originally from Wisconsin, but my home away from home has always been Colorado. I received my undergraduate degree at University of WI-Milwaukee in Anthropology and French. After studying abroad, I had an epiphany that I wanted to pursue Montessori Education. I felt deeply connected to the fact that Maria Montessori was an anthropologist herself and found many connections between her method and the social science of anthropology. I then moved to Boulder for a summer where I received my Montessori Early Childhood Certificate at MECR (same school that Ms. Lisa attended). I was lucky enough to get an internship at an amazing Montessori school in Edwards, CO. I lived in Minturn and taught in the valley for 3 years. My now husband and I then moved to Buena Vista for about a year and I taught with Ms. Lisa at Salida Montessori Charter School before I moved to Bend, OR. We were in Bend for about 8 years and that is where I decided to go back to school for a Masters in Education. I then taught for 5 years in the Bend La Pine School District.
We moved back to BV in the summer of 2023 with our daughter who was just over 1, while I was about 7 months pregnant with our son. I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with them last school year and am slowly easing back into the world of teaching as I learn to balance life with my own little ones. I feel so fortunate to be able to be at SMMS 3 mornings a week! I love being back in the classroom and rediscovering myself as a Montessorian.
Other than leaning into mama and teacher life, I love to bake sourdough bread, trail run/ hike, and gravel bike. Being outside and in the mountains is where my soul feels most alive.
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Julie Katz
Assistant Guide
Hi families! I'm originally from Fort Collins, where I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies at CSU. Shortly thereafter, I obtained a law degree and worked for over a decade in the field of child welfare law. Becoming a mom to twins was life changing! As a new mom, my heart longed to leave the stresses of the courtroom and work directly with children in a joy-filled environment. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is a gift, and I am thrilled to start this next chapter with SMMS!
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Lisa Lamb
Founder, Substitute Guide & Mentor
Welcome! I am incredibly honored to be a Visionary for Shining Mountains Montessori School, hoping to provide a child-sized sanctuary for purposeful, joyful work and collaboration.
My native home is Bauernheim, Germany, where my fondest childhood memories are rooted. I have lived and loved in multiple cities while receiving a Bachelor's in German Language and Literature in 2007. The peaceful and respectful approach, methodology, and science of Dr. Maria Montessori found me during college. I assisted in Infant, Toddler, and Children's House environments stateside and overseas. My partner Kirt brought me to Buena Vista Colorado, as did the AMS Early Childhood Montessori Credential through the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies.
I served as a Children's House Guide at Chaffee County Montessori School, then Salida Montessori Charter School for seven years. I am currently pursuing the AMI Assistants to Infancy Training concurrent with a Master’s in Science in Early Childhood Education Policy.
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Hamilton
School Counselor, CHS (Children’s House Snuggler)
Hello humans! I grew up in the Ark River Valley and was adopted from Ark Valley Humane Society.
My names were Hamilton, Hams, Hambone, Lil’ Guy, GP, and Dude. My human mom, Ms. Lisa, told me that I’d get to travel between home and Montessori school. I learned a lot at SMMS, and I loved my little human friends. They told me stories, read me books, and I got happy-squeaky when they gifted me carrots and cilantro from their refrigerator. My life was amazing! Now in my place at SMMS is Graham Cracker and Smores, they were adopted from Salida. My forever partner, Elizabeth, lives with a former student and now has a baby named Hamilton Junior (AKA Waffles).
